


Such a pure silence

by kalika_999



Series: Jack and Brock's misadventures [133]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Deaf Character, HYDRA Husbands, M/M, Pining, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26413939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/pseuds/kalika_999
Summary: Brock's willing to learn a whole new language for his crush.
Relationships: Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow
Series: Jack and Brock's misadventures [133]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/547894
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: pine4pine 2020





	Such a pure silence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [winter_angst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_angst/gifts).



Brock felt nervous, taking in a deep breath as he began to sike himself up again. He had this, he practised for hours, he was fine. Everything was going to be okay.

Entering the school library during lunch period, he scanned the crowd until he saw Jack at the back corner table and approached him without taking his eyes away in hopes that he’d look up to see him. Brock had already waited impatiently until Jack finished his sandwich in the cafeteria and let him get settled in at the library where he usually hung around until class started again. It was the only time where he knew they could maybe talk without either being disturbed.

Luckily, Jack did look up from his text book and he’s suddenly hit with a look of recognition as Brock forces himself not to bolt out the doors like instinct told him to. Instead he points to the empty chair across from him and Jack gives him a small smile as he nods.

Taking the seat, Brock feels his ears warming as he exhales quietly before officially going for it.

_ Hey. My name is B-R-O-C-K. _ Brock makes sure to fingerspell his name out and mouth each word clearly and carefully for Jack knowing that at least if he bombs Signing, he could fall back on Jack being able to read lips.

_ B-R-O-C-K? _ Jack spelled out again, making sure he had it right and Brock definitely does not feel his stomach flip flop.

He nods as calmly as he can, but knows he was grinning wider just by the way Jack smiles more.

_ English class? Back of the room, right? _ Jack asks, his eyebrows looking cutely lost in thought before he nods to himself like he panicked he thought of the wrong person but then was sure it wasn’t.

Brock was elated though. He wasn’t sure Jack would even know he existed, let alone know which class they took together  _ or _ where he sat. Also up this close Jack was much more handsome than Brock gives him credit for.

It had taken a lot of courage for him to approach Jack’s friends, Clint and Wanda, and ask them for pointers on how to Sign. Naturally they had been suspicious, and he didn’t much blame them for it. Jack seemed to keep to himself or hung out strictly with close friends only, which was the usual thing Brock did too. He never seemed like the shy type, even with his disability but he didn’t much seem to care about making friends with different people either. 

The way Clint and Wanda ran him through the ringer with questions only confirmed his suspicions of Jack not having good luck with new people and he wanted to make it very clear he was only there to be able to talk to Jack, get to know him. He admitted to them eventually that maybe he could even get the balls to ask him out too if the moment hit him right, but mainly he wanted to talk to Jack first, communicate with him and see how it went from there. That was the important issue.

_ Yeah! _ Brock signed excitedly.  _ It’s okay. _

Brock paused, looking up something on his phone while mentally taking notes on a help site before he adds:  _ Shakespeare drives me crazy. _

Jack grinned.  _ I can help next time, if you want. _

_ Sure. _ Brock delighted and Jack seemed pleased he was able to talk to someone new that understood him. He couldn’t help feeling proud of going ahead with all this.

_ Did you just start learning ASL? _

Feeling his face going red, Brock nodded, clasping his hands together nervously before he made himself stop.  _ Yeah, I suck at it. _

Jack smiled, gesturing at Brock’s hands in a sweeping motion of his own together before he gave him the universal signal for OK.

Brock stares at him in awe. Even with no words, that was the nicest compliment he’s ever gotten from someone.

*****

It’s just his luck a few days later on a Thursday when they’re told to pick partners for a Shakespeare presentation, and while Brock sits brooding over his dislike for the man Jack promptly turns from his seat at the front and signs:  _ Do you want to? _

Brock sits surprised before he realizes he missed whatever else Jack had said with that question, but he quickly nods either way and Jack gives him a smile, hesitating a second before he turns back to look up front again. It helped when he did it too, because Brock knew he had the dumbest smile on his face and he couldn’t make himself stop.

When class was over and they both ended up in the hall at the same time, Jack’s hands were already going a mile a minute, signing so rapidly that Brock felt like his brain broke. He could only stare dumbly and blink because while Wanda and Clint were helping him out, this was beyond anything he could comprehend.

It took a moment but eventually Jack realizes his error and his hands ease up until they drop to his sides altogether. His eyebrows come together in concern, like he did something terrible to him and circled his chest with his right fist in apology.

Brock was in too deep. 

“Yer fine.” Brock mouths out and he tries not to warm to the way Jack stared at his mouth for a few seconds too long.

_ Sorry I got so excited. _ Their eyes lock and Jack smiles wider, an expression Brock was sure he was mirroring.  _ Do you want to start working on it in the library? _

Brock nods. He was supposed to meet Bucky so they could have lunch outside of school but he quickly texts him that he has to cancel and follows Jack through the crowded halls. He tries not to react when Jack pulled him against his side so Brock avoided colliding with a rowdy group coming from the opposite direction. If his stomach flip flopped some more because their hands brushed once they pulled apart a little, no one had to know.

Jack leads him to his usual table which was thankfully empty and they sat together, Brock finally realizing just how secluded and tucked away it really was. Sitting here with him now, he liked it better this way, pulling out their notebooks to start their project.

It was different here in the library now that he was used to Jack in a quiet environment. It was comfortable and not weird, and Brock liked that they could still talk (albeit slowly) without anyone making a fuss about a noise level. They spend the next hour planning out a route to go about what they want to do, eventually deciding on a chart and a poster but most importantly a paper on the deeper themes of the story they settle on. Eventually they get to share snacks and while usually Brock felt out of his depth with English in general, Jack makes everything flow so easily and it makes it surprisingly easier to understand. Eventually though, Jack’s phone begins to flash, lighting up and gaining his attention. He looks at it and frowns, reaching for Brock’s notebook to scribble something down.

Brock took a look after it was slid back to him just to see Jack write his name down with his email beside it.

_ I won’t be here tomorrow for class. Message me? _

Brock nods quickly and in return stole Jack’s spiral notebook, writing his own email address down in chicken scratch that he tried to make as clear as possible so there were no mistakes.

He’d never been so excited to do a project for school, especially when it came to Shakespeare. 

*****

He thought he was being too forward when he emails Jack as soon as he gets home, but they only end up going back and forth almost immediately. The conversations span through the weekend and Brock knew he was a goner. Jack is sweet and funny, adorably endearing but also charming, he’s smarter than Brock had realized and he has a soft spot for history. Jack’s totally out of his league and yet he seems to like his company a lot.

Brock  _ really _ wants to figure out how to be hilarious in sign language so he can make Jack laugh all the time.

He’s been getting better at ASL, both through his ongoing lessons with Clint and Wanda, and having conversations with Jack himself. It’s a gradual improvement, but an improvement nonetheless, progress Brock found himself to be really proud of.

In the privacy of his bedroom, he practices over and over again just exactly how he wants to ask Jack out. Most of it is with Wanda’s help since the couple of times he’d kind of mentioned wanting to ask Jack out led to Clint playfully teasing him about looking too serious about it. While he knows the guy’s only joking, it makes Brock a little self conscious and Wanda takes him aside to help him try it out on her so she can fix the details. Once he’s confident enough on his own that he’d get it right on the first try, he decides to keep it to himself at least until after their report is over. The last thing he needs is to get rejected and they still have to work together.

Brock dedicates himself to being the best partner Jack has ever had, even if Jack spends a lot of their project time together teaching him that Shakespeare isn’t boring. It just gets worse when the video chats start after school, it’s almost like Jack wants him to fail caring about everything but him.

*****

The day before it’s due, they arrange to meet up at the public library because Jack wants to go through it and make sure they’ve covered all the relevant points clear and concisely. Their physical meetings together only make it harder for Brock to be subtle about his pining when he knows what makes Jack laugh a lot, when he knows about his general likes, and what he’s passionate about.

_ Some of our emails and chats were getting pretty off-topic. _ Jack writes out in their shared notebook filled with past conversations and doodles. A book that Brock loves to flip through and smile over whenever it’s in his possession but right now he winces because Jack’s right.

They’ve been talking about their favorite bands, stuff they actually like about school, foods they love, even sports. Brock knows he rambles on forever about action movies but Jack balances it out with classic 80’s horrors that he’s fond of. He’s been selling him on  _ The Thing _ the last couple of chats because a historic landmark theatre that plays old movies has it for the next month and Brock mentioned he was kinda into  _ Aliens _ since it had more action than the first one. Of course stupidly he agrees to the invitation to see it and it’s been something distracting Brock since, the thought of sitting with Jack to watch a movie in an actual theatre was super scary and he didn’t want to embarrass himself if something startled him. Jack’s explained it’s hard for him too, that if they go they have to pick up accessibility glasses that had wide lenses for closed captioning during the movie but almost always gave him a headache by the end of it. But he also assures him that he wanted them to go together either way and Brock feels his stupid stomach flip flop again.

Sure they did have some chats strictly about the project, but mostly it's been personal stuff about each other and he always encouraged it. He loves Jack expressing himself, so sue him.

_ Sorry. _ He signs to Jack apologetically.

Jack smiles at him before writing again.  _ I didn’t mind, I like talking to you. We just need to get this finished before we get back to your issues with people hating on Taco Bell. _

Brock snorts out a laugh, and pulls the essay part of their presentation out of Jack’s hands, eager to finalize it.

*****

He and Jack keep talking via email after they turn in their project, though email becomes boring real quick after that and they strictly upgrade to phone texts since they see each other around school all week, and also when they have class together. Going to the movies wasn’t bad at all and Brock only jumped once, Jack grinning at him with those stupid accessibility glasses that he was right about, they really were wide lenses but it made sense if he needed to read things on the screen. The look made Brock feel less self conscious and the movie turned out to be good, even if he wasn’t sure he’d be checking it out again any time soon. Though, he reconsiders when Jack offers to pull out his deluxe edition whenever he’s up for it again because that means more of sitting next to Jack and since he’s seen the movie already he won’t be so damn scared. 

That’s all besides the point because his main plan has always been to ask Jack out and Brock knows he absolutely  _ cannot _ do that by text, so he spends a lot of time thinking (and overthinking) about how to do it in person.

In the end he decides not to make a clown of himself, and just asks Jack to meet him behind the library after school.

By the time Brock arrives, Jack is already there sitting under the tree and reading one of his books as he’s idly scratching at the scar on his jaw. It’s a beautiful scene.

Brock sits down beside him after lightly kicking at his shoe, back straight and body tense, and says  _ I want to ask you something. _ He’s not sure if he was able to articulate it just right, thanks to his nerves or if he’s practiced long enough, but he’s pretty sure Jack understands anyway.

Jack nods as the corners of his lips quirk up while he rests his book in his lap, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Brock’s mind is going a mile a minute and he wonders if this would be so much easier if Jack just reads his lips. He quickly shuts that idea down when he reminds himself the whole point was to ask him this way and finally he takes a deep breath to ease down the anxiety. 

Steadying his trembling hands, he grounds himself before proceeding.  _ Would you go out with me? _

Jack stares startled, but Brock can already see it’s not because of any sort of negative reason, since his face is still soft and open, and it makes him feel at least a little better he went through with this.

Instead of giving him an answer, he’s presented with a question.

_ Why did you learn Sign? _

Brock chews at his bottom lip nervously. He’s not sure why Jack is asking, but he answers with the truth.  _ I wanted to ask you out properly. _

_ You didn’t have to learn Sign just to ask me out. We spoke fine when I read your lips or wrote messages. _ Jack tells him, that small quirk turning into a gentle smile.

Brock shrugs.  _ It’s not the same. It’s not how people close to you talk, I wanted to talk to you the way you’re comfortable, get to know you the right way. _

Jack laughs. It’s silent but Brock can hear it, grinning as he watches his ears going tomato red. It’s cute and makes Brock’s stomach do loops.

Ducking his head down to stare at his book, Jack taps along the hardcover of it, smiling as he looks up again and nods finally.  _ I wanted to ask you, but I’ve never dated anyone.. _

That makes Brock feel his own ears warm and he rubs the back of his neck with a laugh. “Oh yeah?”

Jack made a very purposeful fist and held it up, Brock smirking because he already knew before he flicked his wrist down that he was saying _yes_.

It was what he creates with his hands next that renders Brock speechless, though in hindsight, he should have seen it coming. (In more ways than with just ASL.)

Jack forms his hand together in a resemblance of a duck head and kisses the tips of his fingers. Now Brock sees he’s a little shaky too when Jack’s hand connects with his other hand doing the same shape like they’re kissing each other. Brock might be pretty rusty with the language but he knows by heart that it means Jack wants to give him a kiss.

“Yes.” Brock says without thinking about it, signing along despite Jack pulling him in already. 

His face is cupped and they kiss like it’s the first time, because it is, but it feels so familiar and satisfying. Brock’s always fantasized keeping his eyes open to see Jack’s face when he does it, but he finds he can’t stop himself from closing them the first moment their lips meet together. His hand lifts and holds onto the front of Jack’s shirt, almost falling into him as they kiss deeper the longer they go. He feels a little delirious when he knows they both need air, but he’s already aware how much he doesn’t care.

It’s Jack that pulls back, his large hands moving to hold him at his shoulders so that they stay close as he pushes their foreheads together and share the same air.

When Brock finally opens his eyes, he’s met with Jack’s staring back and he feels his whole face blush even though he hates to admit he does that.

Jack moves a hand away to fit in between them so he can talk.  _ Okay? _

“More than okay..” Brock assures him, reluctantly taking his hands away to bring them towards his own chest, gesturing as if something is rising up from there and out of him.  _ Happy. _

Jack beams at him, nodding in agreement before pulling him in for another kiss.

Somewhere at the back of Brock’s mind he reminds himself to thank Wanda and Clint with a pizza or something because he’s not sure he’d even have gotten this far trying to figure all this out by himself.

But he’ll only deal with that stuff tomorrow morning, since right now he wants to spend the day in silence next to Jack.


End file.
